


between the two of you (i'll be okay)

by alateni



Series: 1+1+1>3 [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Hybrid AU, M/M, Multi, it's a soft au, they're older in this and seokmin has a job but it's not explicitly touched upon, wonu and jun are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 23:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12899643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alateni/pseuds/alateni
Summary: With two, squabbling hybrids, Seokmin's life contains a lot of hustle and bustle - but also, simultaneously, peace and quiet.





	between the two of you (i'll be okay)

**Author's Note:**

> Recommended songs to listen to while reading this:  
> [Palette - IU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9IxdwEFk1c)  
> [Flower Way - Sejeong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKLKDJ1QsLs)  
> [I Am You, You are Me - Zico](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewjucLierFc)
> 
> I actually don't know if these songs fit well but they're what I listened to while writing this so I guess it fits the mood.

“Not my fault!” Minghao announces, ears flattening against his head. The cat hybrid hisses at the other hybrid from his vantage point on top of the fridge.

“It so is!” Mingyu barks, tail standing on edge as the dog tries to grab at Minghao’s feet. Unluckily for him, Minghao is more agile than he – meaning he easily jumps from the fridge to the top of the cabinet to escape. Even with Mingyu’s height, he can’t reach the other hybrid.

“You’re the one that knocked it over!” Minghao huffs, wrapping his tail around his feet so Mingyu can’t get them. He raises his head haughtily, watching as Mingyu howls in frustration at not being able to reach him in any way. “Your clumsy ass and stupidly long legs are the root of the problem here.”

“You _tripped_ me,” Mingyu reminds. “If you hadn’t stuck your foot out, I wouldn’t have stumbled and stepped on it!”

“So, you admit you’re the one who broke it ultimately?” Minghao smirks, snickering when Mingyu stops his actions. “Even if I _did_ trip you, you’re the one who fucked up in the end. Don’t blame me for your actions.” Minghao smooths his ears, happy that he shocked Mingyu into silence. The other hybrid frowns, trying to figure out a flaw to Minghao’s logic. Unfortunately, the other boy was always better with words. While Mingyu is good with actions, Minghao is the expert when it comes to speaking.  As such, since Mingyu finds it hard to articulate his thoughts properly, Minghao wins most of their scuffles through wit alone.

“Mingyu! Minghao! I’m home!” a voice calls just as the door closes. Eyes widening, the two hybrids look at each other, shocked that they didn’t smell anyone coming. Mutually agreeing that the best course of action was to scatter (the logic being that they can’t catch the both of us), Minghao immediately jumps off the cabinet and races towards the study. Meanwhile, Mingyu bolts into the next room. Both hybrids immediately change into their animal forms, folding their limbs onto themselves in order not to be seen. Moments later, the owner of the house walks in.

“Guys?” Seokmin asks, eyes puzzled as he looks around the kitchen. He passed the living room on his way here, and if Minghao and Mingyu weren’t there, they were usually here, cooking food to eat. Or, rather, Mingyu would cook. Minghao would just laze around on any flat looking surface and criticize him. The thought of it makes Seokmin’s lips curl up. Even though Mingyu said he hated it, the dog hybrid would keep cooking and make Minghao his favourite dishes no matter what. It was kind of cute – though, to be fair, Minghao should probably stop being so prickly all the time.

Still perplexed over the silence in the house, Seokmin continues his search. He knew Mingyu or Minghao hadn’t left, they always texted him if they did. And Wonwoo or Junhui never said anything about either hybrid visiting them, so unless someone had broken in – which Seokmin highly doubts – the two had to be home. Frowning slightly, Seokmin enters the hallway leading into their separate bedrooms. Well, rather, his bedroom and Mingyu and Minghao’s. His apartment is bigger than most (thanks to his parents), but it isn’t enough to house three people. As such, Mingyu and Minghao had – begrudgingly – agreed to share a room. In the end, the two sleep in Seokmin’s bed more often than the man did himself.

“Minghao?” Seokmin pokes his head into Minghao and Mingyu’s bedroom, eyes flickering from top to bottom in search of some sign of life. “Mingyu?” Seokmin says again, going back into the hallway and looking around. “Seriously, guys, where are you?” Seokmin tries again, pushing open the door to his bedroom. Odd, he always left that open. They never closed doors in his house (a habit he had carried over from his childhood).

The door creaks slightly when it opens, causing Seokmin to wince. Nevertheless, he pushes on. Glancing around the room, he doesn’t see anything out of order. The bed is nicely made, and the clothes he threw onto the floor this morning in a rush to get to work had been picked up and either folded or tossed into the laundry basket (perks of having two very clean hybrids living with you). In fact, the room seemed _too_ clean. As if Minghao or Mingyu was trying to disguise the fact that something was missing.

They did it often, actually. Seokmin started to notice it back when he first brought Minghao home. The younger hybrid came into their lives after Mingyu, but the two shared similar habits. Whenever Minghao messed up – either by breaking something or making Seokmin angry – he would always clean. From organizing the study to vacuuming the whole house, cleaning relaxed Minghao. It had to do with where he lived before meeting Seokmin, and Seokmin understands.

Minghao had previously belonged to a big household. As such, there wasn’t much care given to each individual hybrid, though the owner wasn’t negligent in the slightest. It’s more like Minghao’s previous owner thought of them more as workers than actual humans – meaning Minghao was treated more like a maid than a person. Minghao wasn’t mistreated, but he wasn’t given the love and time he needed either. Obviously, then, Minghao learned that cleaning would appease whoever was mad at him.

And so, Seokmin knew something was wrong. Though Minghao was the one with this particular habit, Mingyu picked it up soon after. Seokmin thinks it’s because the dog hybrid was always knocking things over with his clumsy tendencies, but soon enough, Mingyu would try to fix or clean things up before Seokmin noticed. It was nice, kind of. A pleasant thought, that they’d tried to solve the problem on their own first. However, Seokmin told them time and time again that they didn’t have to fix everything by themselves. Sometimes, just telling Seokmin would be enough – though they hadn’t been too taken with the idea.

“Guys I won’t be mad, I promise,” Seokmin coos, trying to coax one of them out of hiding – for that’s what they were surely doing. Minghao would be harder to find, the feline hybrid is known for shimmying into the tightest crooks and nannies; often having to be rescued once he got into a corner he couldn’t get back out of. On the other hand, Minghao is also less patient than Mingyu– meaning he’d probably try to move around or give up hiding earlier than the other hybrid.

Walking into the living room, Seokmin yawns. Work was tiring today, meaning Seokmin came home hoping to just curl up on the couch and wait for Mingyu to finish cooking dinner. He hadn’t expected to come back to a goose chase, and honestly, he was getting pretty tired of it. Seokmin is, as most would say, an empathetic and kind person. Always cheerful and energetic, the male is definitely one of the more upbeat members of his crowd. However, that kind of energy didn’t last forever. Even if his vigour appeared boundless, the minute he was at home or with people he was truly comfortable with, that persona would fade.

He wasn’t faking it, to his core, Seokmin is still a cheerful person. Even subdued, Seokmin is probably happier and more energetic than Minghao in his fullest. But still, not everyone could be positive all the time, not even Seokmin. In the end, the man is just tired. He wants to sleep, maybe curl up with Minghao and Mingyu for the night. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes, being happy all the time was draining – both mentally and physically.

About to give up on the chase, Seokmin stops, sock-clad feet feeling something unusual on the ground. Taking a cautious step back, Seokmin kneels down and picks up a phone – or, rather, what is left of it. On the ground, half swept under the couch, is his phone. He accidentally left it in his rush to get to work this morning (no wonder he didn’t get his usual needy phone calls and texts from Mingyu and Minghao asking him what time he was coming home) and it must have slipped under the couch somehow. Except, Seokmin doesn’t remember dropping it in any way. Actually, he doesn’t think he took it out of his room at all.

Standing up, Seokmin examines the damage. It looks worse on the outside, he concludes. The screen protector is shattered, and the case is battered up – but the phone is working. Well, Seokmin assumes it will after he charges it (something he also forgot to do last night). The screen protector and case would have to be replaced, but otherwise, the phone is in working condition. Nothing to be mad about, though Seokmin is sure Mingyu and Minghao weren’t aware of that.

“Mingyu! Minghao! I’m not mad! The phone is okay!” Seokmin calls. He faintly hears a scuffle, a book falls somewhere in the house, but overall, the house remains silent. “Seriously, I can get it replaced – I wanted a new phone case anyways!” Seokmin walks back towards the hallway. If anything, he’d be able to spot either one of the two hybrids here first.

“Please? I’m really tired and I just want to eat,” Seokmin finishes lamely, voice catching on the last word. He was _tired_. It had been a long week, and though he didn’t have a bigger workload than usual, life had just caught up to him and he needed a break. Nothing was wrong, it’s just, sometimes, you needed to take a step back and have some time for yourself before you got overwhelmed. This was one of those times.

“Minnie?” Seokmin hears Mingyu’s voice first. Honestly, he expected Minghao to break cover first – relieved that he’d no longer have to stay still and hide, but Mingyu was always the more empathetic and openly emotional of the two. There’s a flurry of footsteps, before Mingyu steps out of the study – hair a mess from his transformation back into a human. Seokmin smiles weakly, shrugging wearily as Mingyu steps forwards to envelope him in a hug. Soon after, Seokmin hears another door close before Minghao makes his presence known by snuggling into Seokmin’s neck. It tickles, causing the male to giggle, before his laughter is ultimately swallowed by Minghao’s mouth.

Humming against the cat hybrid’s soft lips, Seokmin leans closer, following Minghao’s soft yet strong movements. It wasn’t lazy, but there was no heat behind it. Just a comfortable, soft type of kiss – one of Seokmin’s favourites. Whining gently, Mingyu pouts and bites Seokmin’s ear. Letting go off Seokmin, Minghao rolls his eyes at Mingyu’s neediness before flicking the dog hybrid’s ears and pulling Seokmin (and thus, Mingyu) into the kitchen.

Immediately, Minghao pushes Mingyu off of Seokmin, shooing the other hybrid into the kitchen to cook something “warm and quick”. Meanwhile, Minghao drags Seokmin and drops him onto the couch, warning him to “stay put” before disappearing back into the hallway. Seokmin stares amusedly for a while, before turning and watching as Mingyu mutters to himself about how bossy Minghao was while grabbing the materials and equipment he’d need to make dinner. Laughing at Mingyu’s misery, Seokmin misses Minghao’s reappearance, jumping when the other boy drops a heap of pillows and blankets onto the couch.

“Move over,” Minghao commands, and Seokmin complies. As Seokmin momentarily clings awkwardly onto the side of the couch, Minghao quickly and expertly fashions a nest of blankets, complete with breathing spaces. Coaxing Seokmin towards him, the male lands in the middle of the comforting cushions. Letting out a sigh of relief when Minghao wraps the final blanket around them – and thus, completing their blanket burrito – the cat hybrid preens at the unspoken praise.

Chuckling slightly at that, Seokmin reaches over to pet at Minghao’s ears, rubbing them in the way that made Minghao soft and pliant. Purrs rumblings out of the younger male, Seokmin lazily rests his head on Minghao’s shoulders and watches as Mingyu whirls through the kitchen. He’s sort of straddling Minghao, with Minghao facing away from the couch, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Not when he’s warm and Minghao is tracing patterns on his back.

Soon enough, Mingyu finishes cooking and sets up the table. Begrudgingly, Seokmin leaves the blanket nest (with a mental note to ask Minghao how he managed to build it so fast and securely). Minghao follows, first throwing any fallen blankets and pillows back on the couch, and sits across from Seokmin – with Mingyu taking the spot to Seokmin’s left. For the rest of the meal, Seokmin lets himself be pampered. Whether it was from Mingyu feeding him to Minghao making sure he got the best part of the meal, Seokmin indulges his lovers’ needs to spoil him for once.

After dinner, while Minghao washes the dishes, Seokmin and Mingyu slowly move the blankets and pillows back into the main bedroom. There’s no rush in their steps, no need for words even. They simply move together, with Seokmin bumping into Mingyu’s side every so often. It’s probably not the most efficient way, with Mingyu and Seokmin holding the same blanket and dragging it back into the room together, but it’s fun and makes Seokmin’s heart fill warmth, so neither of them mind. Not even when Minghao finishes washing the dishes and scolds them half heartedly because they’ve only gotten through half the pillows.

Once Minghao has joined them in their clean up, they finish quickly. Minghao retires, having already showered earlier that day, and sets to cleaning up the kitchen more. Meanwhile, Mingyu coaxes Seokmin into the shower with him. The shower is not small, but in an apartment, it never seems large enough. They make do though, with Mingyu hanging out of the water half the time due to his height. The dog hybrid doesn’t seem to mind however, and he’s more than happy to let Seokmin relax under the hot water. He even washes Seokmin’s hair for him, fingers expertly massaging through the strands. It causes Seokmin to fall asleep on his feet at least three times, but Mingyu always catches him, laughing loudly at Seokmin’s expense, before washing the suds out of his hair and getting started on the body wash.

Seokmin stops him here, knowing that Mingyu would get too impish, and then they’d never get out of the bathroom before the hot water ran out. Plus, Minghao would get angry when he found out they started without him. Mingyu pouts and pleads, pulling off his best begging expression, but Seokmin stands firm. Mingyu finally admits defeat after Seokmin threatens to kick him out of the bath tub, and the rest of the shower is relatively harmless (other than Mingyu almost slipping when he tries to get Seokmin to wash his back for him). Stepping out of the shower, Seokmin hums and allows Mingyu to towel dry his hair. He switches to the hair dryer soon after, making sure Seokmin’s hair is dry and fluffy before getting started on his own.

As Seokmin dries off his body, Minghao arrives, hands full of clothes. Dropping them next to each boy respectively, he impatiently (but kindly) waits for them to finish changing before the three of them drop into Seokmin’s bed. He’s had to get it fixed more than once (let’s just say the springs on this one is a lot better than his old bed) and had to switch out his previous double mattress to a king size, but it all worked out in the end.

Locking eyes with Seokmin, Minghao sends him a silent question. Shaking his head, Seokmin pushes the slender boy forwards, causing him to practically face plant into the mattress. Scowling, Seokmin laughs as Minghao crawls into the center of the bed. It’s their standard sleeping pattern, with Minghao in the middle and Seokmin and Mingyu on either side. The cat hybrid got cold easily, no matter what season, so both of his lovers were content with letting him stay sandwiched between the two of them. Plus, this way, Minghao couldn’t steal all the blankets when he got cold.

“I’m okay,” Seokmin speaks up after Mingyu turns off the lights. He can’t see in the dark, not like Minghao and Mingyu can, but he feels rather than sees their attention shift to him. “I was just feeling tired – kind of in a shitty mood.” He doesn’t have to say more. From the way Minghao’s tail reaches over to wrap around his thigh and the tensing of Mingyu’s arm (thrown over Minghao and reaching the middle of Seokmin’s shoulder), he knows they understand. “I’m okay now.”

“Okay? Or better?” Mingyu’s voice is muffled. His face is probably pressed into the crook between Minghao’s neck and shoulder, and though Minghao complains loudly whenever he does it (“it _tickles_ ”), the cat hybrid always concedes in the end.

“Okay,” Seokmin replies softly. He’s not better, probably won’t be in the morning, but he’s doing okay. Things don’t always have to be better. As long as they’re okay though, Seokmin can keep going. Especially with Minghao and Mingyu by his side.

“That’s good,” Minghao mutters, voice laden with sleep. “We can go to the board game café tomorrow with Wonwoo and Junhui, we haven’t seen them in a while.”

“True,” Seokmin nuzzles Minghao’s hair appreciatively. It would be good, to take some time and meet up with friends. Even though Seokmin feels like staying home tomorrow, he knows Minghao has his best interest in mind. After all, in his past experiences, Seokmin finds that, after forcing himself to go out, he always appreciates spending good, quality time with his friends and loved ones. Particularly in a relaxed setting like a café. And hey, Seokmin loves board games – who is he to say no to a chance at creaming everyone at Pop the Pirate?

 

 

(“It’s impossible,” Mingyu complains the next day, “this game is all about _chance_.”

“You’re just saying that because you lost,” Minghao replies.

“Exactly! There’s only one loser! How can Seokmin _win_?” Mingyu groans, but accepts his defeat, forking over his own money to cover the bill. Seokmin smirks throughout the entire exchange.)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in this weird state where my classes are finished but my exams are soon so I don't know if I should start studying or appreciate the little bit of freedom I have. It's a weird limbo state where I just want to stop time so I can spend a weekend sleeping and relaxing and not have to worry about the timer counting down until my first set of university exams. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a fic for a while...
> 
> Anyways, I'm sorry I haven't been active. I haven't had much time or motivation to write recently. It's coming back, slowly, but I feel like I always say this. However, you can always contact/talk to me on [Tumblr](http://alateni.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> I have also, finally (after years of deciding I have no idea why this took so long but it was a painstakingly long decision process) gotten a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/alatenii) (salty that someone got my usual username before me). Feel free to talk to me there too! (I mean, I'm not the most active I'll admit but I'll try to reply to messages faster on there... probably?)
> 
> With the winter break coming I'll be able to (finally) finish that one fic I've been working on for six years. Hopefully it'll be up to standards!
> 
> Also I fucking love Pop the Pirate it's one of my favourite games ever-
> 
>   
> Hope you're smiling!  
> 
> 
>   
> ~ alateni  
> 


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